DeKALB — DeKalb approved the purchase of the Hunter Hillcrest shopping mall property in August 2021 for $1,185,000 with plans of demolishing the property and it officially became the city’s on Oct. 18, 2021. 

The Hillcrest shopping mall, 1011 to 1027 W. Hillcrest Drive, is set to be demolished on May 10 and could take up to 30 days to complete. 

DeKalb approved the purchase of the property in August 2021 for $1,185,000 with plans of demolishing the property and it officially became the city’s on Oct. 18, 2021. 

The goal is to build a grocery store since the area is currently a food desert and doesn’t provide an option of fresh fruit and dry goods, even though it is one of the most populated areas in DeKalb, Nicklas said. A social services facility is also being discussed. 

“That L-shaped strip of two strips of land and connects there, Hillcrest and Blackhawk was a big piece of the Annie Glidden North plan that was adopted by the City Council in 2018,” City Manager Bill Nicklas said. “And that plan was prepared by the 30 plus different community members from NIU, from the city, from other governmental bodies, from the neighborhood and so forth.” 

The City of DeKalb has spent $130,000 to relocate the tenants, which includes the first and last month of rent and damage deposits, Nicklas said. They were given 6 months to relocate, the deadline being April 30. 

“This valuation includes the 2.05-acre site, including an asphalt parking lot with 140 parking spaces, and a 33,316 square foot mixed-use commercial building with 9 commercial units and 14 apartments,” according to the Aug. 23 City Council agenda.

One tenant, Rocky’s, 1027 W. Hillcrest Drive, is still open and operating. After April 30, the city will lock everyone’s doors and anything left inside will become city property. 

Some demolition processes have already begun, according to a City of DeKalb Instagram post on April 7. DeKalb Public Works has begun harvesting scrap metal, refrigerators and AC units for recycling. The city also plans to recycle the asphalt and foundation once demolition begins.

Nicklas said that once demolition is complete, the city plans to backfill the land with soil and lay seed, which will stay until the city finalizes its plans for the land.

Nicklas said that in total, the project will cost around $1.6 million including the purchasing of the property and the money spent to relocate the tenants. The projected cost for the demolition is around $270,000. 

“The American Recovery Act allocation to the City of DeKalb can be used for the purchase of the property, the relocation of tenants and the razing of the structure to prepare the Hillcrest/Blackhawk area for purposeful redevelopment in keeping with the direction of the AGN Plan,” according to the Aug. 23 City Council agenda.

The act also goes toward underserved communities that reach a certain income threshold through certain census tracts. Nicklas said 1011 to 1027 W. Hillcrest Drive and Annie Glidden North area is qualified for the census tract, so redevelopment to bring in new services can be federally covered. 

Nicklas said he plans to have discussions about the future of the Hillcrest mall at City Council meetings in the late summer or early fall of this year. 

“It’s just a matter of working through the process to get some hopefully very creative interested developers who will be bidding to acquire and redevelop a property,” Nicklas said.

A public ceremony will be held May 9 where City Council and community members can share their thoughts regarding the steps toward redevelopment.